Anti-snoring pillow

ABSTRACT

A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising a core having core variable displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the head in a non-distorting aligned position and a plurality of removable spacers for adjusting the height of the core including core spacers and neck spacers.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to pillows for use on a bed to support a head for sleeping and more particularly, to improved pillows having therapeutic and cosmetic properties and that enhance the quality of sleep.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Standard solid-bodied pillows in common use for many years have a number of limitations. The downward force caused by the weight of a person's head on tissue and facial skin in contact with solid bodied pillows is considerable, causing local stretching, cessation of capillary blood flow and deformation of the skin. Over a period of years these factors accelerate wrinkling of the skin, contributing to the visible effects of ageing.

Similarly, the outer surfaces of the ears are crushed by the weight of the head when a person using a pillow lies to the side, contributing to cessation of capillary blood flow and the incidence of bacterial and fungal ear infections, morning wax deafness, ear ache and gradual deformation and wrinkling of the pinna.

In addition, standard pillows provide uneven support to the head and neck, causing muscular strain of the neck and back, and causing general night unrest. Sleepers adopt a side or face down position during sleep in an effort to conform to the support points of a pillow, spending disproportionately little time sleeping in a supine position. This tendency can accelerate degeneration of the spine associated with ageing, particularly in the neck region. Indeed, neck injury commonly results from improper support while sleeping. Similarly, in an attempt to match personal anatomy to a pillow, many people adopt unnatural sleeping positions with arms and hands used to provide head support, which leads to discomfort and joint degeneration, and even arthritis, in the hands, elbows and shoulders.

Although a variety of pillow sizes and shapes are available, they often do not match an individual's anatomy and natural sleep habits. In an attempt to address some of these deficiencies, various pillow designs have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 entitled ADJUSTABLE CERVICAL PILLOW WITH DEPRESSIONS FOR A USER'S EAR invented by Roger A. Sramek, one of the inventors of the present invention, discloses a pillow which reduces the incidence of morning wrinkles and permanent skin wrinkling, which prevents ear compression and which provides anatomically correct cervical and head support. That pillow supports the head and neck of a person and includes a resilient pillow body with an adjustable-height head rest. The head rest includes a central depression in the pillow body and a plurality of head-height adjustment shims which fit into the central depression. The pillow body has a resilient upper portion with a plurality of depressions on a top face for receiving the person's ears.

While U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 is close to setting a standard for the ideal pillow, that pillow has a non-standard appearance resulting from a contoured shape and a narrow width. That pillow was made from urethane foam and other resilient man-made and natural materials that provided firm and aligned support and vastly improved the quality of sleep.

Since normally everyone spends a large percentage of everyday sleeping, the quality of sleep is important to a person's good health and enjoyment of life. Comfortable pillows and beds are important in establishing restful sleep. During sleep, a healthy person typically passes through five levels of sleep which include stages I-IV and which additionally includes a REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep stage. Stages I and II are the lightest sleep and stages III and IV are the deepest. The REM stage is that level in which sleepers dream and receive the mental health benefits attendant dreaming. All levels of sleep are important, but stages III and IV are the deepest and most physically restful sleep, when, for example, human growth hormone is secreted. Normal sleep is cyclic passing through the stages from I to IV and back from IV to I and into and out of REM. This sleep cycle is repeated a number of times over a normal sleep period, but can be disrupted due, for example, to body discomfort.

Restfulness and the quality of sleep are dependent upon the comfort of sleepers. When sleepers become uncomfortable, they move to relieve the discomfort and the resulting moves are a normal part of sleep. When sleepers move, they frequently change to lighter levels of sleep (stage I or II) or awaken. The more discomfort sleepers feel, the more they will move and the more time they will spend in lighter and less restful sleep. Good sleeping is normally associated with a low number of body shifts during the sleep period. Shifts due to discomfort caused by beds or pillows are a significant cause of poor sleep quality. On conventional sleep surfaces, most people experience about forty major postural body shifts in the course of a night's sleep. Poor sleepers experience about sixty percent more major shifts than good sleepers. While some shifts during a sleep period are beneficial, the quality of sleep can be greatly improved for many by reducing the number of shifts caused by discomfort.

There are two major causes of bed-induced shifting, and particularly pillow-induced shifting, which cause poor sleep. As it relates to the head and pillow, the first major cause of shifting is the buildup of pressures on parts of the head and the second major cause of shifting is poor neck/head alignment. Considering the first major cause of shifting, the buildup of pressures results from prolonged lying in the same position and from pillows which are too thick or too hard. High compression tends to restrict capillary blood flow which is recognized by the body, after a period of time, as discomfort. The pressure threshold which causes a discontinuance of capillary blood flow is called the ischemic pressure. The ischemic pressure is normally considered to be approximately thirty mmHg. The discontinuance of capillary blood flow is observable as a red spot on the skin. After pressure is applied, a red spot on the skin is a precursor to tissue damage. When parts of the body are subjected to pressures above the ischemic threshold, discomfort results and, hence, a person shifts to remove the discomfort and threat to tissue damage. For some people, the ears are particularly sensitive to such pressure.

Considering the second major cause of shifting, poor body alignment results from bending of the vertebral column of the body. As it relates to the head and pillow, such bending is typically caused by poorly functioning mattresses and pillows that cause unwanted improper and distorting alignment of the neck and head in one or more sleeping positions. Proper supine (back-lying) position means that the occiput of the head (the protruding back part of the head) comes to rest nearly at the same level as the shoulders so that the head and neck are not in an extended or bowed position while at the same time, a proper amount of support is provided to the neck with its natural curvature. For a pillow that provides sleep comfort, a neutral anatomic position is achieved and the natural alignment is evidenced by the chin and brow being at about the same height. When these positions are not achieved, a distorting and unnatural alignment occurs causing discomfort. When these positions are achieved, the head and neck are in a non-distorting aligned position that provides good sleep comfort.

Natural, non-distorting alignment allows the neck functions including those of the nerves, tissues, arteries, and the breathing tube (oropharynx and hypopharynx) to perform optimally. Natural alignment also reduces stress and reduces compression on the neck muscles and nerves and thus reduces pain and stiffness.

Many pillows have a high concentration of fill in the middle of the pillow, or are otherwise too firm or too thick, and therefore promote extended flexion of the neck so that the head position is extended beyond natural alignment into distorted alignment. This extended head position often impairs breathing and other neck functions leading to worsened snoring and to neck, shoulder and back pain. Also, the extended head position causes wrinkling across the neck and chin. The result is a distorting alignment causing discomfort and other unwanted consequences.

In addition to head and body alignment, pillows also have properties that affect cosmetic qualities of skin. The skin, particularly in women wanting delicate and smooth skin features, is susceptible to wrinkling Facial tissue is particularly susceptible to wrinkling and worsens with aging. Repeated compression of the facial flesh, for example when side-sleeping on a conventional pillow, forms nocturnal creases on each side of the mouth and wrinkling about the upper lip occurs. Ideal pillows as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,380 tend to tighten the facial skin during sleep and hence tend to reduce pillow-induced wrinkling

Many purchasers and merchants have come to expect pillows to have other “standard properties”. For example, an expectation is that pillows will have standard sizes for use on standard mattresses such as King, Queen, Double and so forth with dimensions that match existing pillow case sizes. While these “standard properties” do not necessarily add to the suitability of a pillow for sleeping, they nonetheless can be important for widespread commercial acceptance of pillows.

A number of additional “attributes” are also important for commercial acceptance of pillows. A pillow design desirably meets the needs of a large percentage of the population. The greatest demand is for pillows used on beds that sleep two people side by side. The number of stocking numbers required for a pillow product line is desirably low so that distribution and sale are efficient.

Developments in the parameters of and manufacturing capabilities for foam and other materials (including beads, seeds and husks) have provided new components for pillows that can be used to better approach the technical parameters required for an ideal pillow at economical costs and which can be manufactured with expected “standard properties” and with the “attributes” for pillows that are desired by the public.

In the present specification the term “foam” is used in a generic sense to include all substances that trap many gas bubbles in a solid, for example, synthetic and natural rubber, latex, elastomer and polyurethane among others.

The physical properties of pillow materials include among others Density, Hardness, Tensile Strength, Indentation Load Deflection, Compression Load Deflection, Initial Softness Ratio, Resilience (Elasticity), Compression Modulus, Hysteresis and Durability/Lifetime. These physical properties are described as follows.

Hardness is the resistance against pressure.

Density is the mass per unit volume. Hardness and density are interrelated. When density increases, hardness tends to increase. Generally for lower density materials, a growing loss in hardness arises after repeated loading.

Tensile Strength is the measure of the resistance against stretching and changes in tensile strength are measured as Tensile % and changes in length after applying a tensile force are measured as Elongation %.

Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) is a hardness measurement defined in the ISO 2439 standard. ILD in the standard is defined as the force that is required to compress material a percentage of its original thickness, that is, compressed 25%, 40% and 60% from its original thickness (using in the standard a circular plate of 322 cm²). These ILD's are designated ILD25%, ILD40% and ILD60%

Compression Load Deflection (CLD) is a hardness measurement defined in the ISO 3386 standard. CLD is defined as the counterpressure (force per surface) in Pascal when the core material is pressed in 25% with a stamp where 1 kPA (kilopascal) equals 10 g/cm² (grams per square centimeter), Compression Set 75%.

Initial Softness Ratio (ISR) is a hardness measurement defined as the ratio of ILD65%/ILD5%. This measurement somewhat correlates to the initial perception of a person about the comfort of a mattress.

Resilience (Elasticity) is an elasticity measurement defined in the ASTM 3574 standard. Resilience/Elasticity is measured by the “ball-rebound” test where a steel ball is dropped from a height onto the mattress core and the rebound of the ball is measured as a % of a predetermined height.

Compression Modulus (Sag Factor) is a compression measurement defined in the ISO 2439 standard. This sag factor is defined as the ratio of ILD65% to ILD25%. The sag factor somewhat correlates with the perception of a person as to whether the mattress supports the body with more uniform alignment.

Hysteresis is a measurement of the load deformation curve of the load surface. The hysteresis curve is determined by loading and de-loading of a mattress core. A circular plate of 355 mm diameter is used to gradually build a force up to a maximum of 1000 Newtons. The hysteresis represents the amount of energy that is absorbed by the material during loading/de-loading. The higher the absorption of energy by a mattress core, the more strength/energy is required by a person to change position on the mattress. Mattress cores which are too soft, have a low hysteresis which results in higher energy requirements for a person changing position on the mattress core. A low hysteresis value generally results in poor sleeping quality.

Durability/Lifetime is a measurement defined in one method by the EN 1957 standard. In this method, a weight of 1400 Newton is rolled 30,000 times up and down on the mattress core. Afterwards the height (Elevation), hardness, ILD and elasticity of the core are measured. This process is repeated once again and the results are compared with the original values and recorded as a as a % retention. The average incline of the hardness is determined at 210 N, 275 N and 340 N in the load deformation curve. Another measurement is defined by the ISO 3385 (DIN 5374) standard. In this method, a foam sample of 40×40 cm forced with a weight of 750 N for 80,000 times at 70 strokes per minute. Afterwards, the loss of height and the hardness are compared with the original values again as a % retention. Tear is another durability parameter measured in pounds per linear inch (pli) and indicates the energy required to pull a sample apart.

In consideration of the above background, there is a need for improved pillows that better approach the properties of ideal pillows and that can be economically manufactured utilizing the available physical properties of materials while satisfying the public expectations and demands for pillows.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a pillow for supporting the head of a reclining body. The pillow has a core formed with variable displacement parameters along the length and width and the pillow. A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising a core having core variable displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the head in a non-distorting aligned position and a plurality of removable spacers for adjusting the height of the core including core spacers and neck spacers.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a pillow having a normal external shape and appearance within a pillow case.

FIG. 2 depicts an end view of the pillow of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a front view of the pillow of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts a back view of the pillow of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 depicts a top view of a core of the pillow of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 depicts an end view of the core of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 depicts front view of the core of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 depicts back view of the core of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 depicts bottom view of the core of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 depicts a bottom view of the core of FIG. 5 with the bottom spacers shown exploded.

FIG. 11 depicts a flipped view of one of the bottom spacers of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 depicts a flipped view of another one of the bottom spacers of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 depicts a bottom view of the core of FIG. 5 with the neck spacers shown exploded.

FIG. 14 depicts a view of the neck spacers of FIG. 13 shown flipped.

FIG. 15 depicts a front view of the neck spacers of FIG. 13 collapsed.

FIG. 16 depicts an end view of the neck spacers of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 depicts an end view of the neck spacers of FIG. 15 modified to show only two spacers.

FIG. 18 depicts an end view of the neck spacers of FIG. 15 modified to show only one spacer.

FIG. 19 depicts a top view of one of the bottom spacers of FIG. 10.

FIG. 20 depicts an end view of the bottom spacer of FIG. 19 viewed along the section line 20-20′.

FIG. 21 depicts an end view of the bottom spacer of FIG. 19 viewed along the section line 21-21′.

FIG. 22 depicts a front view of the bottom spacer of FIG. 19.

FIG. 23 depicts a front view of two of the bottom spacers of FIG. 22 stacked together.

FIG. 24 depicts a front view of two of bottom spacers that are an alternate embodiment for the spacers of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow operating to bend the head and neck upward and out of natural alignment.

FIG. 26 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 27 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment but with a slight downward extension that tends to open the air passage and reduce or eliminate snoring and other sleep difficulties.

FIG. 28 depicts a cross-sectional end view of an uncovered pillow core and with a female in a side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole of the core.

FIG. 29 depicts a cross-sectional end view of the same pillow as in FIG. 28 with a cover and core and with a female in a side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the head behind the ear hole of the core.

FIG. 30 depicts a cross-sectional side view of a pillow with a cover and core and with a female in a side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole of the core.

FIG. 31 depicts a female in a back-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 32 depicts a female in a side-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 33 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 34 depicts a male in a side-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1, a top view of pillow 10 is shown and externally has a normal shape and appearance. The pillow 10 fits within a conventional pillow case 8. Internally, the pillow 10 has a structurally varying core 12 and a core case 11 all within the pillow case 8.

In FIG. 2, an end view is shown of the pillow 10 of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3, a front view is shown of the pillow 10 of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 4, a back view is shown of the pillow 10 of FIG. 1. The pillow case 8 includes a zipper 14 for accessing the core 12 and the core case 11. Typically, the core case 11 also has a zipper (not shown) for accessing the core 12.

In FIG. 5, a top view of the core 12 of the pillow 10 of FIG. 1 is shown. The core 12 includes ear recesses 16.

In FIG. 6, an end view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown. The core 12 includes a body 4 and core spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2. The core spacers are removably attached to the body 4 and to each other so as to enable the height of the core to be adjusted. Such adjustment is to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head and body alignment both on conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment features integral to the mattresses.

In FIG. 7, a front view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown. The core 12 includes a body 4 and spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2 and spacers 2R-1 and 2R-2. Additionally, the core 12 includes neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3. The neck spacers are removably attached to the body 4 and to each other so as to enable the height of the neck region of the core to be adjusted. Such adjustments are to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head and neck alignment both on conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment features.

In FIG. 8, a back view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown. The core 12 includes a body 4 and spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2 and spacers 2R-1 and 2R-2. Additionally, the core 12 includes neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3. The neck spacers are removably attached to the body 4 and to each other so as to enable the height of the neck region of the core to be adjusted. Such adjustments are to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head and neck alignment both on conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment features.

In FIG. 9, a bottom view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown. The core 12 includes a body 4 and spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2 and spacers 2R-1 and 2R-2. Additionally, the core 12 includes neck spacers 3. The core spacers are removably attached to the body 4 and to each other so as to enable the height of the core to be adjusted. Such adjustment is to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head and body alignment both on conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment features integral to the mattresses. Also, the body 4 has a hollowed region 4′ outlined by the edge 4-1 that provides room for the head to tip backward and thereby facilitate positioning the head in an anti-snoring position.

In FIG. 10, a bottom view of the core of FIG. 5 is shown with the core spacers 2-L1 and 2-L2 shown exploded. The core spacer 2-L1 is removably attachable to the core base 4, for example, by Velcro or other fasteners. The fastener strip 5-1 is attached to core base 4 for attaching core spacer 2L-1 to base 4. The core spacer 2L-1 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 5-2 in FIG. 12) for engaging fastener 5-1. The core spacer 2L-1 includes a fastener 5-3 for attaching core spacer 2L-1 to core spacer 2L-2. The core spacer 2L-2 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 5-4 in FIG. 11) for engaging fastener 5-3.

In FIG. 11, a flipped view of core spacer 2L-1 is shown revealing fastener 5-2 that engages the fastener 5-1 of FIG. 10.

In FIG. 12, a flipped view of core spacer 2L-2 is shown revealing fastener 5-4 that engages the fastener 5-3 of FIG. 10.

In FIG. 13, a bottom view of the core 12 of FIG. 5 is shown with the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 exploded. The neck spacer 3-1 is removably attachable to the core base 4, for example, by Velcro or other fasteners. The fastener strip 6-1 is attached to core base 4 for attaching neck spacer 3-1 to base 4. The neck spacer 3-1 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 6-2 in FIG. 14) for engaging fastener 6-1. The neck spacer 3-1 includes a fastener 6-3 for attaching neck spacer 3-1 to neck spacer 3-2. The neck spacer 3-2 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 6-4 in FIG. 14) for engaging fastener 6-3. The neck spacer 3-2 includes a fastener 6-5 for attaching neck spacer 3-2 to neck spacer 3-3. The neck spacer 3-3 includes a mating fastener (not shown, see fastener 6-6 in FIG. 14) for engaging fastener 6-5.

In FIG. 14, the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 of FIG. 13 are shown flipped to reveal the fasteners 6-2, 6-4 and 6-6, respectively.

In FIG. 15, a front view of the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 of FIG. 13 are shown collapsed with all three spacers present. The neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 are individually removable from the body 4 and from each other so as to enable the height of the neck region of the core 12 to be adjusted. Such adjustments are to aid in providing a pillow which achieves good head and neck alignment both on conventional mattresses and on mattresses that have alignment features.

In FIG. 16, an end view of the neck spacers 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 of FIG. 15 are shown for maximum height.

In FIG. 17, an end view of the neck spacers 3-1 and 3-2 of FIG. 15 are shown and are modified to show only two the height of two spacers.

In FIG. 18, an end view of the neck spacer 3-1 of FIG. 15 is shown modified to show only the height of one spacer.

In FIG. 19, a top view the spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 10 is shown.

In FIG. 20, an end view of spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 19 is viewed along the section line 20-20′ of FIG. 19. The width of the spacer in FIG. 20 is approximately 1 inch.

In FIG. 21, an end view of the spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 19 is shown viewed along the section line 21-21′ of FIG. 19. The width of the spacer 2L-1 in FIG. 21 is approximately ⅝ inch.

In FIG. 22, a front view of the spacer 2L-1 of FIG. 19 is shown. The taper of the spacer 2L-1 adds a slope of approximately 3.1° to the core 12 of FIG. 1 and the other figures described.

In FIG. 23, a front view of two spacers of the FIG. 22 type are shown stacked together to form spacers 2L-1 and 2L-2. Together, the spacers add a slope of approximately 6.2° to the core 12 of FIG. 1 and the other figures described.

In FIG. 24, a front view of two spacers 2L′-1 and 2L′-2 are shown that are an alternate embodiment for the spacers of FIG. 23 still obtaining a 6.2° slope. Of course, any height and slope can be obtained by adjusting the size of the spacers.

FIG. 25 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow operating to bend the head and neck upward and out of natural alignment.

FIG. 26 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 27 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment but with a slight downward extension that tends to open the air passage and reduce or eliminate snoring and other sleep difficulties.

FIG. 28 depicts a cross-sectional end view of an uncovered pillow core and with a female in a side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole of the core.

FIG. 29 depicts a cross-sectional end view of the same pillow as in FIG. 28 with a cover and core and with a female in a side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the head behind the ear hole of the core.

FIG. 30 depicts a cross-sectional side view of a pillow with a cover and core and with a female in a side-lying position with the pillow maintaining natural head and neck alignment and where the section is taken to show the ear positioned over the ear hole of the core.

FIG. 31 depicts a female in a back-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 32 depicts a female in a side-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 33 depicts a male in a back-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

FIG. 34 depicts a male in a side-lying position with the pillow cooperating with the mattress to maintain natural head and neck alignment.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. 

1. A pillow for supporting a head and neck of a reclining body on a mattress where the pillow has a pillow length, a pillow width and a pillow thickness comprising, a core having core variable displacement parameters along the pillow length and the pillow width in the direction of the pillow thickness for supporting the head in a non-distorting aligned position, a plurality of removable spacers for adjusting the height of the core. 